1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to semiconductor light emitting diodes (LED or LEDs) and more particularly to LED packages with optical elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are solid state devices that convert electric energy to light, and generally comprise one or more active layers of semiconductor material sandwiched between oppositely doped layers. When a bias is applied across the doped layers, holes and electrons are injected into the active layer where they recombine to generate light. Light is emitted from the active layer and from all surfaces of the LED. The useful light is generally emitted in the direction of the LED's top surface.
LEDs are often arranged in packages that can include a molded or cast plastic body that encapsulates an LED chip, a lens, and conductive traces or leads. Heat is typically generated by LEDs when power is applied and they are emitting light. The traces or leads serve as a conduit to supply the LED chip with electrical power and can also serve to draw heat away from the LED chip. In some packages, a portion of the lead frame extends out of the package for connection to circuits external to the lead frame package.
LED packages typically have some type of encapsulant surrounding the LED chip to enhance light extraction from the chip and protect the chip and related contacts structure (e.g. wire bonds) from exposure to physical damage or environmental conditions which could lead to corrosion or degradation. The lens can have a hemispherical shape and can be mounted to the package by the encapsulant. The lens can serve as an optical element to enhance light extraction from the package and in some instances, to provide output light beam shaping by controlling the angle-dependent emission properties of the lamp.
Present surface-mount LED package technology typically utilizes either a separate glass lens or a molded silicone lens. For surface mount packages, which typically require high temperature (200-300° C.) solder reflow processing to attach the LED package to its final fixture, the possible lens materials typically include silicones and glasses. These lenses are piecepart molded using known processes and are then affixed to the LED package. These lens materials can also have a different coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) compared to the surrounding package components. This can result in the cracking or delaminating of the LED chip or package elements, both of which can reduce light extraction from the LED package. This difference in CTE can also result in damage to the LED chip, and in particular the wire bond can be broken or pulled from the LED. This can result in failure of the LED package.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0079957 to Loh discloses an LED package utilizing a “floating lens” concept in which a solid hemispherical lens is located above the LED chip and is attached to the package by a silicone encapsulant. It includes a reflector plate that functions as a heat sink to conduct heat away from the LED chip and has reflective surfaces to direct light from the LED chip in the desired direction. Further, lateral forces can be applied to the lens during fabrication, installation, or operation, and to reduce this problem the reflective plate is also designed with retention features to constrain lateral motion of the lens. The lens is also allowed to “float” in the vertical direction, moving up and down in response to expansions and contractions through thermal cycles. This allows stress in the silicone encapsulant arising from thermal expansion of the encapsulant to be reduced, thereby reducing the chance for tearing of delamination.
These packages typically use a solid hemispherical lens with a substantially flat or planar surface. The lens is mounted above the LED chip to allow clearance for the LED chip wire bonds, which requires that the LED chip be placed below the origin of the hemisphere. Further, for the reflective plate's retention features to retain the lens against lateral forces may be necessary for a retaining feature to rise above the bottom surface and surround the lower portion of the lens. In the package described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0079957 to Loh, the hemispherical lens sits within a recessed lip of the reflector plate.
For various cost and fabrication reasons, this retaining feature is typically not transparent to light but rather is reflective. This arrangement can result in some of the light emitted by the LED chip being lost due to loss mechanisms such as total internal reflection. Further, because the LED chip sits below the bottom surface of the hemispheric lens, additional reflective surfaces are required to direct sideways emitted LED light to the lens and out the package. This reflection process is not 100% efficient, resulting in additional loss of light. Also, reflections from these surfaces effectively creates a larger, more complex light source (compared, for example, to the chip alone) which can require more complex secondary optics that can result in additional light loss.
The hemispherical lens with a substantially flat or planar surface can also result in bubbles of air being trapped between the lens and the encapsulant during the fabrication step in which the lens is attached to the package. These bubbles can result in decreased light extraction from the LED package and variations in light emitting characteristics between different packages.